Laptop LCD makes great second monitor

[jtwhite 36]

(Psssst. Hurry and read this, before they ship it over to the hardware forum where no one will see it.)

 

Im always on the lookout for DIY projects, especially when it comes to flightsimming.

I like having my primary displays on a second monitor because they are easier to read.

I looked for a small monitor online; however,  being a retiree and a little on the cheap side, I tried a different tack. While Googling "small monitor," I came upon a neat project on the Instructables website in which a gifted DYI-er showed how to turn the monitor from a laptop into a second monitor.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Convert-a-Laptop-LCD-into-an-External-Monit/#step0

 

The idea had great appeal because the size is perfect... thin and small, and the laptop he used was almost identical to an old one I had that's been passed around among my kids until they moved on.

 

It works great and is oh so easy to do. And cheap. $37 for the circuitry, $5 for a power supply.

 

Here are some pics of my setup. I'm using it with Xplane 10 right now, and some great freeware called XHSI (which is so good, I actually donated to the developer). The nav displays are run off a laptop.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/30kn0202q5oyd27/LCDproject.jpg

 

A closer look at the monitor.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/deyyip5q2czod4n/LCDproject2.jpg

 

And the back, with all the circuitry attached to the plastic shell. Ill probably later make it look a little more elegant, but it's OK for now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8panh9bp6m5ccc9/LCDproject3.jpg

 

It really was fun to do. But, as I always say, "Gee, if I knew it was going to turn out so well, I would have done a better job."
 

[tonywob 4,769]

That's a great setup and idea, thanks for the info. I currently use a very old LCD monitor I've had lying around for a few years, and it works great as second monitor also. It's pretty dark and low resolution, but it's just good enough to run XHSI or another moving map application on the second screen, and also a place to keep charts and other things open.

[jtwhite 36]

Thanks for reply. Thing is, Im having only one problem.

It works fine connected to my laptop, and to an older PC I have in the basement from years gone by.

However, when I hook it to anything except a vanilla VGA, say, the output on my GTX 760, it  reads "No signal."

Can't use a DVI dongle, either. So, since my video card doesnt have a VGA, Im still one step away from perfection.

Id like to use it as a second monitor for the displays on the Feel There ERJ in P3D and to get away from using a second computer (the watchword for my setup is "compact.")  But since I can't find a hookup that works with my main box, Im stuck using it only with Xplane and XHSI on networked PC and networked FSWidgets and ASN for P3D.

 

Anybody have any solution? Although the circuitry board for the LCD has multiple inputs, only the VGA seems to work.

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